Human Acts by Han Kang

Human Acts by Han Kang

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4.5 out of 5)

This book contains graphic descriptions of death and the experiences of the victims of the Gwangju Uprising massacre. 

Before reading Human Acts, I was unfamiliar with the Gwangju Uprising and its lasting impact on Korea’s democracy. This book details the violent nature of martial law and the Korean population’s resilience, ultimately resulting in a democratic government by 1987. It also provides historical context for the most recent martial law crisis in 2024 under former Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol. 

The Gwangju Uprising took place in Gwangju, South Korea from May 18th to 27th, 1980. Initially led by students from Chonnam National University, it was a pro-democracy mass demonstration against Chun Doo-Hwan who declared martial law following his coup of the Korean military. When students protested for academic freedom, government forces brutally beat them. As more civilians joined the uprisings, Chun received approval from the United States to send paratroopers from the Special Forces to contain Gwangju, ensuing in further violence and pushback from the Gwangju population. Eventually, the citizens of Gwangju declared the city free from military rule with the retreat of government forces. However, on the 27th, Chun’s forces returned with armored fighting vehicles and quickly shut down the uprising. Although the death toll was heavily debated by the government, Gwangju civilians report that nearly 2000 people were killed in protest. 

Originally named 소년이 온다 (sonyeon-i onda), Human Acts is the official English translation of Han Kang’s Korean novel. The title, instead of a direct translation of the Korean name, A Boy is Coming, was chosen by the translator Deborah Smith. I appreciated this stylistic choice because as the book delves into the atrocities committed against protesting citizens, the reader is reminded that the gunmen shooting middle school boys, the soldiers setting piles of bodies ablaze, and the dictator authorizing such violence are all humans. Through this disturbing imagery, we are confronted by the latent human capability of brutality. Additionally, the distant and matter of fact tone depicts the shocking and horrific violence at face value. Opening the novel with a graphic description of a young girl’s mutilated, rotting dead body in a room full of corpses forces the reader to face the human cruelty. Though I had difficulty adjusting to the second person narration, the interconnected chapters of various people involved truly conveys the long-term effects of the uprising on the Gwangju population. 

Human Acts captures the heartbreaking reality of the Gwangju Uprising and its lasting trauma on survivors and the victims’ loved ones. It is a powerful and heavy hitting novel; I believe it is important to read and educate ourselves on such tragedies to remember the victims and understand our history with the hope of preventing similar events. 

During the Gwangju Uprising in Gwangju, Korea, a young student named Dong-ho is killed. The story of his tragic death is told through a series of interwoven chapters from various perspectives, such as his own grieving mother and a tormented prisoner. Han Kang depicts the lasting effects on the victims as they navigate suppression and trauma.